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Subsystem: Transporters
Subsystem: Transporters Power Cost: Vairs (see table) Instead of using shuttles and other smal lcrafts to travel to and from their ships, Starfleet personnel can take advantage of one of the most miraculous of the Fedeation's technological achivemetns: the transporter. Transproters dematerialize a subject or object, transforming it from mater into energy, use a narrow-focuse subspace carrier wave to transport the energy to a designated location, then transfrom the energy back into matter which was demateralized. Thus, a person can transport carrying his equipement without worry about having a phaser's atoms mixed in with his, or his hair comming out blonde instead of black, or his trickorder failing to work. Whenever any person or object is transported, the carrier wave includes a transporter ID trace- a computer recored of the etnire transporter process. In the event of an accident, personel can review the trace to trying to find out what happened and, if possible, correct the situtation. The Transporter process takes about six seconds (1 full round) when using Federation equipement; other speices transporters may work a diffrent speeds. Problems such as interfrence or equipment malfunction may slow the process considerably, or pose a risk to the subject. Operating a transproter is often a delicate and complex task, and even the lightes interference can render transprort dangerous. Problems can easily result in losing a person's pattern forver or an improper materlization (almost always fatal), or somtimes in more bizarre fate individuals duplicated or divided into two seperate beings, two persons melded into one, or temporal or dimensional rifts (which cause the subject to end up in a differnt time or dimenstion than he transported from), just to name a few horrific examples. Fortunately, such accidents are extordinarily rare- multiple redunancies and safety procedures ensure that the vast majority of transporters are absolutely safe, rountine and uneventful. A transporter will nto work through a shield or through a cloak. However ther are some ways to avoid these restrictions. 'Types and Components' There are three types of Transporters. The first, the personnel transporter, is primarily designed to transport humanoids and has a range of up to 40,000 kilometers. The second, the emergency transporter, is used to beam personnel away from the ship in evacuation situtations; it cannon beam people into the ship and only has a 15,000 kilometer range. Both of these transporters can also be used to transport objects, provided they fit on the transproter pads. The third is the cargo transporter, which is manily used for cargo and other bulky objects; it also has range of up to 40,000 kilometers. Cargo transporters only work at the molecular level, and so cannot safely transport living beings (they would die). A character can modify a cargo transproter and reconfigure it to work at the quantium level (sufficient to safely transport living beings); a converted cargo transporter can transport one humaoid person per 400kg of cargo capacity. Transporters have six primary components: Ship's personnel use the control station to monitor and control the operation of the transporter. Ordinary uses require no test and are very rountine, but i ncase of problems only one of Starfleet's Highly-trainned Transporter oficers canensure the safety of the transported person. Transporter pad's molecular imaging scanner analyze the subject down to a quantum (subatomic) level. Other scanners on the ship's hull located the destination for off-ship transporters, or persons who are beaming up to the ship (for the latter, they can, by themselves or in conjuction with other sensors, loc on to a combadge signal, life signs, communcation signals, or the like). The energizing and transition coils dematerialize the subject, then materalizes him at the destination. The energizing coil generates a Annular Confinement Beam (ACB), which creates a spatial matrxi within which demateralization takes place. An additional field holds the subject within the ACB, since disruption of the ACV field during dematerilization can crate a massive energy discharge (which can kill the subject and somtiems bystanders.) A transporter operator can boost or reconfigure the ACB in attempt to overcome interference or other problems. The subject's energy pattern is held by the pattern buffer, a magnetic holding tank, before transporter begins (all transporters have multiple buffers for safety reasons). This allows the doppler compensators to adjust for the relative motion between the ship and the destination. A pattern buffer can safely store a pattern for as long as seven min utes; beyond that, or if all pattern buffers experience a minor failure, the sujbect may begin to suffer from transporter psycohsis, a treatble mental disorder which causes hallucinations and delusions (it usally takes sveral hours to manifest.). Highl skilled engineers can preserve a matter stream for a long time by shuttling from one pattern buffer to another (Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott of the original USS Enterprise kept himself alive for an astonishing 75 years with this trickk until the crew of the USS Enterprise-D rescued him). The Transporter biofilters can scan every transproted matter streams for the presence of knonw harmful bacterial and viral agents (and some contraband items). If it finds any, the transporter autmatically edits them out of the subject's matter stream. Similarly, most transports of dangerous items, such as bombs. (Personnel can use various protocals to transport persons onto ships without ther weapons or other accouterments if desired). The emitter and receiver arrys on the ship's hull transmit and receive matter streams to and from the ship to the destination. (The presence or absence of a transproter pad at the destination or beam-up point does not affect the range of any type of transporter. However it does mak transproting safer, and easier; when a person or object is transported from one pad to another.) Power cost of operationing a transporter can be determined by adding up the number s in the pwoer columns in the accompanying table. The power costs for the transporter pads depends on how many people are accutally transported; if that eight-person transporter is used to transport onyl four people, it only uses 4 power. A transporter's strength maybe improved by up to 150% by increasing power flow to it; this cost 3 poitns of power foreverpoint of strength beyond the normal. Standard Transporter Procedures Transtporter is rated for strength. Strength ranges from 1 to 10 and indicates the power, efficiency, and quality of the transporter. Phenomena which can interfere with transporters are like wise rated from 1 to 10 (somtimes higher). If transporter's strength is greater than or equal to the strength of the interference, it fuctions normally. However for every point of interference strength excessed transproter strength it becomes more diffuclt, or even impossible to conduct a transporter operaton. For every point above the strength it is a +10 to the roll result of the transporter operatior test. 'Improving Transporter Performance' A ship can try to cut through interference by improving the performance of a transproter. The most common way to do this is to supply the transporter with extra power, thus tightening the ACB, enhancing the emitter and reciever arrays, and reconfiguring the pattern buffer and so forth. A transporter Strength maybe improved by up to 150% at cost of 3 power per +1 strength. Pattern Enhancers enhance and stablizes transporter signals in their field or effect (a trianglar area usually no more than a few mters on a side). When transporting to or from an area covered by pattern enhancers, increase the transporter's strength by 150% (this does not cost extra power). Pattern enhancers do not work in a polorized ionization field. (Poor Odo!) Isolinear tag are small transponders which function just like pattern enhancers. However they only work for one person. To couteract dampening fields a similar form of interference, a transporter operat can match the transporter's pattern buffer's frequency to that of the field. This requires 1 round and a successful Transporter Technology Test. 'Establishing A Transporter Lock' Before a person can be transported, the transporter must establish a transproter lock on him using the transporter targeting componets and ship's sensors. Thus, anything which interferes with the ship's sensors will prevent the establishment of a transporter lock. A Transporter Operatior who's having diffuclty establishing a lock on a sbuject due to interferfance can try to establish a skeletal lock by homing in on the minerals in the subject's bones. T his requires 1 round, and a Transporter Operations skill test, as well as five power. If the test sucessed, boost the transporter strength by 3 for puprposes of cutting through the interference. Failure of any degree means the lock could not be established. Similiarly , if a ship suspects it will have trouble beaming someone back to the ship, it can have him injected with radioneuclide, then use those to help lock onto him. The effects are tthe same for skeletal lock. 'Transporter Limits' The weight of a transported object generalyl has no impact on the transport process. There are records instances of multiple hundreds of tons of living and nonliving matter being transported without diffuclty. The limiting facot on transproter (besides range) is the size of the emitter pad(s) used (if applicable), and the sizeo f the area intow hich the subject will be transported. (YEAH Humpback whales!) Consquences of Failure Ordinary transporter use does not require any skill tests. But whenever circumstances might affect or hinder the transporter process, the character operating the transporter must make a Transporter Operations Test. The rolls are adjusted based on the strength of the interfrence. Failure to compelte the transproter procesdure properly can have disastrous consquences. If at the character has to make test to establsih a transporter lock, failure means the transport cannot take place until circumstnaces change or a way is found to increase the transporter's strength. (Dramatic Failures means the same thing, but usualy reuslts in some damage to equipement which takes time to repair or make the transporter process more diffuclt.) If a lock is establsihed (eather automatically or with a successful test), but te test to conduct the transporter itself fails, there are several possible consquences. The simplest (and easies on the characters) is the lock was lost and transportee remains where he is. But in circumtances of heavy interference, or if a Dramatic Faulure occures, far worst results are likely to happen. *Death /Destruction: The subject fails to materalizes properly or is lost in mid-transport. Improepr remateralization is an agonizing, if quick, death. *Dimension / Temporal Shifts: The subject finds himself in another dimension (such as the mirror unvierse) or another time. Good luck finding away home... *Strange Life Form: Life forms have been discovered which can live in the matter energy stream of a transporter beam (quasiengery microbes are the best knwon example.) Such beings can easily harm the subject by interfering with the matter stream or damageing the transporter equipement (knowingly or unknowingly). Similarly, two or more persons being transported could merge into one being, creating a new hybrid life form. *Transporter Pyschosis: A rare medical problem resulting from the break down of neurochemical moleclues during transport. Although technolgoy improvements have virtually elimited this probme since 2319 the rare case crops up. Effects incude dementia, hallucinations, pyschogenic hysteria, sleplessness, myopia, muscular spams, and dehydration. *Transporter Shock: Temporary headaches, dizziness, and disorientation following transport. Advance Transporter Procedures These are some of the specific procedures that a transporter operator would have to test his skill when attempting to perform. 'Transporting Through Shields and Cloaks' Nomrally, an active shield or cloaking device prevents transport onto or off of the affected ship. (It is hoever possible to transport through an internal force field). However there are several ways around these restructions. 'Matched Shield Frequenceis' If one ship can match its shield frequency to another ship's, it can maintain a transporter lock on someone on that other ship and transport them off of it wven though the shield are raised. This requires a success test of Transporter Operations Skill. Failure means no transport and loss of the lock; Dramatic failure that the subject is killed in a mis-rematertalization. 'Radion Beams' A character casue the main deflector to emit a radion beam, which will carry the transporter beam through a shield. This requires successful test of both the Transporter Operations Skill and the Deflector Shield Operation skill. Failure means the sbuject remains othe pad, untransported; tramatic failure that he is injured or killed in a mis-remateralization. 'Shield Windows' Some ships have there shields cycle along with there sensors to minimize the effect of the shields on the sensors. This usually results in a microsecond window every five to six minutes in which a person could transport through the shields. This this reuires a test of the Transporter Operations skill, Failure means subject's matter stream returns to the pad (he mistimed the transporter;) Dramatic failure that he is injured or killed in mis-remateralization. Similary, it's possible to transport through a shield proteting a transporter beam right between two of the target ship's shield generators. If a ship can manage to open up a hole or window in another shio's shields with an attack, the ship can transport personnel or objects onto or off the target ship. 'Transporter Modulation' With sucessful test of a Transporter Technology skill a character can modulate a transporter to allow transport through shield or cloak (this cost 5 power and requires him to know the shield's frequency). Failure means he does not get through. 'Blind Beam-Outs' Used only in emergency situations, a blind beam-out involves transporting all life-froms in a designated area as a group, rather than isolating there individual patterns. This requires a successful test of the Transporter Operations Skill. Failure means the lock was lost and subjects remain where they are. Dramatic failure results in melding of various patterns, usually resulting in a horrible death of all subjects. The best which can be hoped for is maiming, or merging of two patterns at the moecular level, resulting in a new "hybrid" person. 'Conceling Transporter Use' Normally use of the transporter is easily detected by a ship's sensors and computer. A character can hide the fact that he used or wil use a transporter by rerouting the transporter grid. This requires a Transporter Operations test. If the character fails he can try againl if he dramaticalyl fails he cannot try agian and his efforts have triggered a security alert. On a related note, it's somtimes possible to disguse a transpoter's carrier wave to make it look like one emitted by another species's techology. Most species transporter technology is distinctive, but with suffient Transporter Operations skill a character can false the trace. 'Disabiling Safety Protocals' Transporters are programmed with safety protocals and biofilters which prevent them from remateralizing known harmful biological agents or dangerous items (such as bombs). A character can shut off these protocals with a proper command code or a Transporter Operaitons test. 'Extending a Transporter Range' There are two ays to extend a transporter's maxium range. The first is the use extra Power- every 10 power spent increases the range by 5% (maximum of 20%). This requires a Transporter Operations test. Failure mans the ACB was not boosted properly; the transporter operator will have to try again. Dramatic failure means the subject rematearlaizes at the transporters's normal maxiumum range. (Usualy in outer space or very high int he atomosphere). The second way onyl works to exend a transporters's reach to transport somone onto the ship, not to send them away, and involves running the transporter beam through the main deflector. This requires Transporter Operations test and Deflector Shield Technology test. Failure means it doens't work, dramatic failure means the matter stream is lost in mid-transport, killing the subject. 'Replicators and Transporters' Replicator technology derives from transporter technology. An individual with the right technical skills can turn a replicator into a transporter by re-aligning the energy-conversion matrix (of course, most replicator-transporters are usable only for small objects- such as bombs). This requires a Transporter Technolgoy Test. Failure resutls in the subject not being transproter at all; Dramatic Failure causes an improper transport which usually kills or destorys the subject. 'Site-to-Site Transport' Also referred to as "direct transport" site-to-site transprot is transprot from one location to another without stopping at a transporter emitter pad in between. The most common example is beaming an injured person from the place where he was injured directly to sickbay or an infirmary. This requires no check but it does require double the the normal power cost. 'Transporter and Warp Speed' Numerous complcations aries when attempting to transport at warp speed. If the transporting ship and subject are both movign at warp speed, they must match warp speeds as closely as possible. This requires first a Helm Operations Test. (Failure means anyone attempting to transport must make a Transporter Operations with -20 to there skill). Once speeds are matched the a Transporter Operations test is made. Failure causes the warp field to bounce the matter stream back to the emitter with a minor injury. Transportering someone who is not moving while the transporting ship is at warp speed is also possible but diffuclt. THe annular confinement beam must be synchronized with the warp core's frequency, and the timing must be precise, to accomplish this. The processdeure requires a successful Transporter Operations Test. Failure indicates the transporter does not work due to improper synchronization. Dramatic failure kills or harms the subject. Even using transporters at close warp speeds is dagnerous. In a process known as near-wearp transport or touch-andgo downwarping, a ship drops out of warp just long enough to transport someone or somthing off of or onto the ship, then returns to warp speed. Such operations requires a successful Helm Operaitons test as well as a Transporter Operations Test. Failure on eather test resutls in faulure to obtain a proper transporter lock; Dramatic Failure usually kills the subject by leaving him imbeded in a wall or other soild object. Category:Subsystem